Chapter 32
Chapter thirty-two
Nash
I was furious. More than furious. My blood simmered as I paced my room, phone to my ear and hating that I had to interrupt my legal team the day after Christmas.
But I needed answers. How had Hiram gotten something so similar to our program?
And how were they so close to launching—and potentially beating us to market?
You couldn’t copyright ideas, but corporate theft was a thing. Did Genesis have a mole? A well-connected mole?
The possibility of Stephanie being the one behind it crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it. Call me a fool, but I knew deep in my bones it wasn’t her.
I raked a hand through my hair and shoved my glasses back into place. I would get answers. I wouldn’t fail my employees by letting a snake like Hiram win. But I was going to need a miracle to fix this. We were still three and a half months from launch. If Nova was closer…
Tension infused the rest of the evening.
I finally got a hold of one of my lawyers, and he promised to start an investigation into the legal ramifications.
The hard part would be getting proof and trying to find the potential mole.
Another call to IT, and they had launched a full system work-up on our communication servers.
I doubted they’d find incriminating evidence in bold print announcing, “It’s me. I’m the perpetrator.” But I needed something. Anything.
I couldn’t let my people down. Couldn’t let Stephanie down.
Dawn broke bleak and dismal. I’d received very little information from my team since last night, but I made another call while packing up my suitcase. We were leaving a day early, which was hard to explain when we weren’t showing panic but needed to get back to Washington. Hiram knew. He had to.
“You better have a good reason for this, Nashville,” Emmett said, groggily.
I glanced at the clock and winced. It was just after six in the morning, but I’d forgotten we were an hour ahead of Spokane which meant…
Five o’clock was a brutal wake up call. If I thought Stephanie wasn’t a morning person, Emmett was worse.
And if he was pulling out the Nashville nickname, he was royally ticked.
“Sorry. I got word of potential corporate espionage on our new software.” I gritted my teeth just saying the words.
“Nova?” Emmett immediately sounded more awake.
“Yeah.” I blew out a breath. Just talking about this out loud with a friend had my chest easing a fraction.
Emmett worked as my chief financial officer at Genesis.
He might not be able to solve the problem, but he would be invested in the issue and would be a good sounding board, since Stephanie wasn’t up yet.
Best let her sleep and avoid this nightmare a while longer.
After I explained Hiram’s new proposal, Emmett growled in frustration. “Is there any proof someone in the office leaked it?”
“I’ve got IT on it, but Hiram is slick. A few drinks and conversation between whoever it might be and his liaison, and this is all hearsay.”
“What’s his angle, do you figure?”
“Honestly? Probably the fact that I showed up to the family Christmas with his estranged daughter.”
Emmett hummed. “Estranged?”
“It’s a long story and not mine to tell, man.” I blew out a breath. “But it isn’t pretty.”
“Is she a liability for the company?” The question was a blow to my gut.
“I’m not firing her, Emmett.”
“Not asking you to. Just asking if she’s a liability. You’re responsible for other people’s livelihoods.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” I snapped, pausing my pacing to stare at the predawn hue of the Tetons and sprawling snow-covered meadows and woodlands between us.
“I realize I might have fallen in love with the one woman who’s most inconvenient to love from a business perspective, but I’m not jumping ship on her just because it’s complicated. ”
Emmett had the audacity to chuckle.
I held the phone away from my ear, staring at it confused. “Care to share why you’re laughing? There is nothing remotely funny about this.”
“Oh, I know. I just never thought the day would come when you’d finally get over your insecurities and commit to a woman. You’ve let Alexis live in your head for far too long.”
“We’re dating, not married.”
“I know. But Stephanie is the only woman who tempted you to break your no-serious-dating rule, despite Ryan and I setting you up on blind dates. She’s the first woman you’ve fought for at the risk of your company.
The company’s been everything to you, Nash.
Now you’ve found someone worth fighting for. Don’t mess it up.”
Emmett’s words stuck to me like pesky burrs while I finished packing up my suitcase and scanned the room, checking for any last items I’d forgotten. Little did he know messing things up was my chief concern.
A jaunty knock came at the door. “Coming!” I called, half hoping it was Stephanie, though the hour was a bit early.
Nana stood in the doorway, a grim expression on her face. A rare look from everything I’d learned about the vibrant woman so far this week.
“Nan—Charmain, what can I do for you?”
She waved me off. “Nana is fine, young man. I’m hoping you wouldn't mind a stowaway for your drive back to Washington.”
I blinked in surprise. Had I heard her correctly? “You’re coming back to Spokane? Does Steph know?”
Nana grinned, a little ferally. “She probably forgot, but she’ll remember once she wakes up. I cleared it with Liz.”
In her bright orange fleece cardigan and houndstooth slacks, Charmain Russo Addams was a formidable war strategist I had no desire to argue with. Besides, having her around might be good for Stephanie right now. “Of course. I’ll make sure the seats are all clear.”
She eyed me with a smirk. “You don’t strike me as a man to have to make sure. That vehicle is spotless.”
I chuckled. “You caught me.”
“Good.” She snapped off a quick nod. “When are you planning on leaving?”
“Around ten. Steph’s still sleeping.”
Nana snorted. “That girl could sleep through an apocalypse. She’s no morning person.”
“Don’t I know it, but I want her to get as much rest as possible. We’re in for a long fight.”
Curiosity lit Nana’s sharp hazel eyes, so much like Stephanie's I realized. “You’re standing by her.”
“As long as she’ll have me.” This woman was it for me. In an uncertain world, I was certain about that.
Reaching up a hand, Nana softly patted my cheek with her wrinkle, age-spotted hand, decked in a turquoise ring. “You’re a good one, Nash Prescott. An old woman can tell.” She tottered off before I could say anything. “I’ll be ready by ten!” she called.
Stephanie rapped at my door half an hour later, two coffees in hand. She scanned the hallway as I opened the door before hopping inside and bumping the door shut. “Coast is clear. Any news?”
Apart from the dark crescent moons under her eyes, I had no indication of how she was handling all this.
She offered me the dark blue pottery mug and cradled the remaining white mug in her hands, inhaling the soft steam.
I took a swig of the coffee for fortitude. “Not much. Nolan promised to call when the legal team had something, and IT is still doing their thing, so…” I waved a hand vaguely.
She nodded slowly from where she leaned against the closed door. Given whose territory we were in, we were trying to keep our voices down. “It wasn’t me, Nash. I swear.”
I sipped my coffee again, relishing the boldness and body of the flavour. I’d have to ask Nana about the brew she used because I might have just converted. “I know that.”
Stephanie reared back as if offended I hadn’t suspected her. “I’m not sure if I should be relieved or concerned that you’re so trusting.”
I shook my head, sinking down on the edge of the queen bed.
“I’m not trusting by nature, Steph. My dating life should make that clear.
But I know you. You’re loyal to the bones.
” I forced a smile. “Besides, if you were reluctant to date me because I’m your boss, somehow I doubt selling company secrets to the enemy would have accomplished that bridge between us. ”
She huffed a little laugh. “You think, huh?”
“Just a hunch.” I winked at her over the rim of my cup. “You okay with leaving around ten? I know we’re cutting things short.”
“Yeah, everything’s packed.”
“One hiccup,” I said slowly. “Nana’s coming back with us.”
She stared at me. Blinked once. Again. “She… what?”
“Seems she cleared a visit with Liz—”
Stephanie groaned. “I forgot. How could I forget that?”
I frowned. “Forget what?”
“She usually spends New Year’s with either me or Gabe’s family. Since they’re headed to Idaho for the hockey game, it’s my year.” Stephanie stiffened. “And she doesn’t know about…” Her head fell back with a thud against the door. With a sigh, she motioned between us.
“About what? That we were fake but not anymore? I don’t see how that matters.” I shrugged, shoving my hands in my pockets as I approached her. “Gives me the chance to take you on a real date.”
Her face shuttered like she’d donned a mask.
It was the professional mask I often saw at work or when she was blocking out comments from her siblings and dad, but I hadn’t seen it around me this week.
It was almost alarming to see how seamlessly it slid into place now.
“Maybe,” she said quietly, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “See you in a bit?”
Even though we were only an arms-length apart, the chasm was widening.
She was inching away from me. I wanted to reach out, rescue her from the spiraling thoughts I could see behind those dazzling hazel eyes.
Wanted to push and ask her why she was shutting me out.
Why the word real suddenly had her backpedaling faster than I could blink.
But I did none of those things. All I said was, “Sure thing.”
Real brave. But I wasn’t sure I could handle any of the answers right now.